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Sparkle Roll Media, the Chinese company that represents Jackie Chan, is launching an international sales company to be based in Hong Kong. Operations kick off at FilMart with the unveiling of three new titles.

The new sales firm is headed by Will Lin, an executive previously at Fortissimo Films, and Andree Sham, who was with Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Ho-sun Chan’s We Distribution. Hong Kong executive, Katherine Lee, another We Distribution alumnus, will serve as a consultant.

Lin and Sham are both named as director, international sales and will report to Joe Tam, VP of Sparkle Roll Media Culture Industry Development Limited and Sunny Sun, VP of Sparkle Roll Media Corporation.

Janis Nords’ second feature Mother I Love You and Juris Kursietis’ debut Modris were the big winners at the ¨Great Christopher¨ (¨Lielais Kristaps¨) National Film Competition held during the first edition of the Riga International Film Festival (December 2-12).

Nords, who graduated in film directing from the UK’s Nfts, received the top honour of best film as well as the trophy for best feature film director and best actress (for Vita Varpina’s performance as the single mother trying to make ends meet).

On presenting the direction prize to Nords, the competition jury’s chairman, veteran film director Janis Streics, said that he saw “a bright future ahead for Latvian cinema” on the strength of the line-up for this edition of the national film awards.

Mother I Love You, which is handled internationally by New Europe Film Sales, premiered at the

Golden Horse Awards 2013 winners: ‘Ilo Ilo,’ Singapore’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission, wins Best Picture (photo: Angeli Bayani and Koh Jia Ler in ‘Ilo Ilo’) Surprisingly, the 2013 Golden Horse Award for Best Picture was given to 29-year-old Singaporean director Anthony Chen’s feature film debut Ilo Ilo at a ceremony held Saturday night, November 23, in Taipei. Four rounds of voting were needed for jury members to reach their decision. (Golden Horse Awards 2013 winners and nominees.) "Singapore is a very little country and we made this film with a small budget," said the London-based Chen in his acceptance speech, "so we never dreamed of winning a Best Picture prize. The other nominees are the masters I learned from when I was in film school, so I’m very honored and thankful to them too." The directors of Ilo Ilo‘s fellow Best Picture contenders — and Anthony Chen’s "masters" — were Johnnie To,

Universal Pictures International Entertainment has bought the international blockbuster Chinese Zodiac, also known as CZ12, and will distribute the film in North America, Australia, and the United Kingdom (among other locations) in the upcoming year. This is no doubt great news to Jackie Chan fans in these countries as he both directed and starred in this action film that has already earned $180 million in the Asian box-office. Some will note that this film has already had a limited release through AMC Theatres this last October, however this film will now reach an even greater number of eyes through Universal.

The plot of this films circles around the loss of twelve bronze figures of the Chinese zodiac, whose retrieval Jackie Chan’s character Jc has been tasked with completing. While fulfilling this mission Jc finds himself not only caught up in international intrigue dating as far back as the Second Opium War,

“Singapore is a very little country and we did this on a very little budget and never had we thought of winning Best Feature Film,” said Chen, who thanked jury president Ang Lee and the other nominees in the category, whose works he said he had all studied in film school.

About a Singaporean family and their newly arrived Filipino maid around the time of the Asian Financial Crisis, Ilo Ilo also won Best Original Screenplay, Best New Director, and Best Supporting Actress for Yeo Yann-Yann.

“Singapore is a very little country and we did this on a very little budget and never had we thought of winning Best Feature Film,” said Chen, who thanked jury president Ang Lee and the other nominees in the category, whose works he said he had all studied in film school.

About a Singaporean family and their newly arrived Filipino maid around the time of the Asian Financial Crisis, Ilo Ilo also won Best Original Screenplay, Best New Director, and Best Supporting Actress for Yeo Yann-Yann.

Yeo, who played a beleaguered working mother, thanked the director who is said to have altered the story to reflect her actual

The Golden Horse Awards , this year celebrating its 50th anniversary is one of Asians most precious movie awards ceremonies. This year saw some of the biggest names in Asian Cinema attend ; including Ang Lee, Jonnnie To and Peter Chan.

This year saw Jackie Chan win his third Golden Horse Award (previous wins included back to back best actor wins for Crime Story and Police Story 3) for Action Choreography in Chinese Zodiac

“Ilo Ilo,” about a Filipino maid’s awkward relationship with her employers during the Asiam Financial Crisis, was named best film, and earned Chen best script and best new director awards, while Yeo Yann Yann was named best supporting actress.

“Ilo Ilo” won the Camera d’Or in Cannes in May and is selected as Singapore’s entry to the foreign language Oscars category.

“Grandmaster” claimed five awards, four in craft categories, and one more for Zhang Ziyi as best actress.

Taiwan’s “Stray Dogs” won two significant prizes in best director for Tsai Ming-liang and best actor for Lee Kang sheng.

Hong Kong — Universal Pictures International Entertainment has acquired rights in most of the world outside Asia to Jackie Chan’s most recent film “Chinese Zodiac” (aka “CZ12”.)

In a long-gestating deal finally signed during last week’s American Film Market, Upie took rights to the film in North America, the U.K., Eastern Europe, Australasia, France, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

Significantly, the deal excludes North American theatrical rights, as the picture which was directed by, produced by and starred Chan, was released in selected theaters on Oct. 18 by AMC.

The film was released in China and most of Asia in December last year and has grossed $180 million to date. Universal previously partnered with Premium Film for the January theatrical release in Russia.

The film sees a nationalist treasure hunter chase around five continents in order to retrieve 12 bronze animal heads stolen from China.

Exclusive: Jackie & Jj International has sold Jackie Chan’s action adventure Chinese Zodiac to Universal Pictures International Entertainment (Upie) for territories including North America, UK and Eastern Europe.

Upie has also acquired the film (aka CZ12) for Australasia, Africa, France, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

The deal was negotiated by Ramy Choi on behalf of Jackie & Jj and Jasper van Hecke on behalf of Upie.

Chan directed and stars in the film, which was released in China in December 2012 and has so far earned more than $180m worldwide.

Filmed on location across five continents and seven countries, Chinese Zodiac follows a treasure-hunter (Chan) searching the world in search of ancient relics.

Chan broke Guinness World Records for ‘Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor’ and ‘Most Credits in One Movie’ whilst making the film.

Chan’s next project, Police Story 2013, will be released this December. Ding Sheng is directing the film, which stars Chan

Jackie Chan’s upcoming “Police Story” will get a leg up in the crowded late-December calendar when it is released in China as an Imax picture.

The news was announced Tuesday by Imax chairman and president Greg Foster at a lunchtime keynote speech at the U.S.-China Film Summit conference in Los Angeles.

The film, the sixth in the Chan-starring “Police Story” franchise, is set for a Dec. 24 release in China. It’s directed by Ding Sheng, and co-stars Liu Ye, Steve Yoo and Jing Tian. China Vision Group and Wanda Media are the producers. Wanda is the biggest single operator of Imax screens in China.

Chan’s last Chinese film, “CZ12 (pictured above), was a hit in China, taking in $141 million.

Foster said that Imax has been involved in 11 local-language films in China since it opened its first commercially operated giant screen in Shanghai in 2004. The company now

This month saw the release of CZ12, a new action thriller from Jackie Chan, but that film has been released overseas for much longer. But later this year, international audiences will see Police Story 2013, a new film Chan's well known series of action films. However, unlike the previous installments, this sequel has no connection to Chan's earlier films as he plays a mainland Chinese Interpol officer investigating a kidnapping case. Now we have a trailer offering a peek at the wild stunts, fight sequences and more, but this film looks much more gritty and dark than anything we've seen Chan do before. It's a shame he didn't do this before. There's no English subtitles, but the action is the dominant force in the trailer anyway. Watch! Here's the international trailer for Sheng Ding's Police Story 2013, from Twitch: Sheng Ding (Little Big Soldier) directs Police Story 2013, the

Call me crazy, but I find nothing more exhilarating than watching a character who is really quite unlikeable copping a highly stylized fly kick to the face. Yes, I am a martial arts fanatic and I believe that there is an inherent and palpable satisfaction associated with witnessing a hand to hand exchange and flying feet delivered with precise technique.

The Kung Fu Revolution began around the early 70s, long before I was born, and the genre has certainly developed and evolved greatly over the course of the last four decades. Following the release of the unparalleled Bruce Lee classic Enter The Dragon in 1973, a legion of kung fu flicks soon after flooded the market to keep up with the new craze that had swept over the movie going public. The likes of veteran superstars with incredible talent such as Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Jean-Claude Van Damme,

Had Steve McQueen not already christened his previous picture thus, “Shame” would have been the perfect one-word title to capture the gut-wrenching impact of his third and most essential feature, “12 Years a Slave.” Based on the true story of free black American Solomon Northup’s kidnapping and imposed bondage from 1841 to 1853, this epic account of an unbreakable soul makes even Scarlett O’Hara’s struggles seem petty by comparison. But will audiences have the stomach for a film that rubs their faces in injustice? As performed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Northup’s astounding story is too compelling not to connect with American audiences, and important enough to do decent business abroad as well.

Now playing in limited release, legendary action star Jackie Chan’s new action comedy, Chinese Zodiac, is his most ambitious big action movie to date, and possibly his last. Chan produces, directs and stars as a globe-trotting treasure hunter-for-hire employed by dodgy antiques mogul (Oliver Platt). He’s aided in his quest by his tech-savvy assistants (Kwon Sang-woo, Liao Fan and Zhang Lanxin). The film is filled with Chan’s trademark brand of action, humor, and awe-inspiring stunts including a spectacular opening with him street-luging down a steeply curved road in a rollerblading suit and an aerial landing finale on top of an active volcano. At a recent roundtable interview, Chan discussed his success and longevity in the action genre, why he dislikes directors with big egos and enjoys directing himself, his thoughts on multicultural casting, his announcement that this will be his last big action movie, his concerns about

Jackie Chan has been performing stunts most of his career, starting off doubling for other actors in movies such as Fist Of Fury, 40+ years later, he is now 59 and still performing dangerous stunts and he says he still wants to perform them.

“I have scars on my legs and arms. So many broken bones. I fractured my scalp making a movie.”

This came has his latest movie “Chinese Zodiac” hits American cinemas this weekend, the movie has had some good and bad reviews, to me, the movie wasn’t the best but the fights and stunts were a great watch. Can you name anyone else at nearly the age of 60, who can still perform at the level of Jackie Chan? i very much doubt it.

Jackie Chan has been performing stunts most of his career, starting off doubling for other actors in movies such as Fist Of Fury, 40+ years later, he is now 59 and still performing dangerous stunts and he says he still wants to perform them.

“I have scars on my legs and arms. So many broken bones. I fractured my scalp making a movie.”

This came has his latest movie “Chinese Zodiac” hits American cinemas this weekend, the movie has had some good and bad reviews, to me, the movie wasn’t the best but the fights and stunts were a great watch. Can you name anyone else at nearly the age of 60, who can still perform at the level of Jackie Chan? i very much doubt it.

Jackie Chan’s spectacular new adventure takes him all the way from the chateau and vineyards of France and the hidden dangers of a jungle on a South Seas island to the terrors of a fight in free-fall above an active volcano. The story is sprung on a quest to track down six bronze sculptures, originally part of a set of twelve representing the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Jackie plays a soldier of fortune, not a high minded patriot. He’s in it for the money. But as events take unexpected turns and strange alliances take shape, motives begin to change.

Why did you want to go back to directing?

Jackie Chan: When I direct my own film I write my own script I like to hear from the audience that they liked it. I never stopped directing all the movies that I’ve made I was a half director.

The characters of this week’s releases are at the end of their ropes. That might even be literal for Robert Redford’s character in All Is Lost unless sailors have a different word for “rope.” And they probably do. Some of the film figures of the week are covered in blood, some have been kidnapped into slavery, some have been falsely imprisoned, some are fighting the system, and some are losing the battle against it. Desperation seems like a common theme. Of course, it’s October, so “ghosts” are another big one. And who’s more desperate than they are? There’s also a lot more going on in a week with a massive amount of movies. Here’s your trailer-ized guide to what’s coming out: The Major Names 12 Years A Slave Read Our Review And our interview with Sarah Paulson Carrie Escape PlanThe Fifth Estate Read our review All Is Lost Read our

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